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Follow UsIt was the most incredible evening for Afghanistan as a cricketing nation as they got the better of Bangladesh in the last Super Eight encounter to help them to the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. For a war-torn nation that started playing cricket in refugee camps and now being a part of the Elite Boys was nothing short of a dream and the team, led by Rashid Khan, made it possible.
During his ecstasy, Rashid was effusive in his praise for legendary Windies skipper Brian Lara, who had named Afghanistan one of his semi-finalists in his pre-tournament billing. “It's something like a dream for us as a team being in the semifinal,” Rashid said in the post-match interview. “It's all about the way we have started the tournament. The belief came while we beat New Zealand. It's unbelievable, I don't have any words to describe my feelings.
“Back home, everyone is so happy for this big achievement. The only guy who put us in the semifinal was Brian Lara and we proved that right. Before the competition at the welcome party, I told him, 'We won't let you down. We'll make it through and prove you're right.' I am proud of this team.”
Rashid further added how big of a celebration it must be in Afghanistan - for the nation loves nothing more than cricket.
“It's a massive celebration back home now. It's a big achievement for us. We have done that in the Under-19 level, being in the semifinal. But in this World Cup ... I don't have any words how to describe the feeling. The country will be very proud. I am so happy with the way we have delivered as a team. We took the responsibility. Being in the semis is big; now we have to go with a clear mind. We'll have to keep things simple and make sure we enjoy the big occasion.”
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While Afghanistan have always produced some incredible spin bowlers over the years, with the ilk of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid himself, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, they haven’t always had the pace bowlers to back their effort. However, things have changed in the last few years - with the emergence of Naveen-ul-Haq and Noor Ahmad. Rashid stated that their pacers have made their lives easier in the middle overs.
“We thought 130-135 was a good total on this wicket. We were 15-20 runs short. It was all about the mindset. We knew they would come hard at us to chase that in 12 overs to get into the semifinal. That's where we could take advantage.
“If we bowled into the stumps, we had a better chance of getting them out. We didn't have to do anything extra. We just had to be clear with our plans. We put in the effort; that's in our hands. Rain, the result is not in our hands. That 100% effort is always in our hands. Everyone did a wonderful job. In T20s, we have a strong base, especially in bowling.
“The quality of fast bowling we have got, it's not as fast but they are more skillful. In T20s, if you have skills, you are more effective. They have given great starts in this World Cup competition so far and it becomes easy for us (spinners) in the middle where we can go hard at the batsmen. So happy with the way they have delivered. They were very clear with their mind; that's very pleasing,” the skipper added.
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